Kenny Dean’s Basketball Training

09/04/2026

09/02/2026

Getting better at basketball isn’t just about adding more moves.

A lot of young players get stuck because they never learn how to handle the parts of development that aren’t going their way.

Somebody is going to develop faster than you.

Somebody might play more than you.

You’re going to have weaknesses exposed. You’re going to miss shots. You’re going to get corrected. You’re going to have games where scoring isn’t there.

That’s basketball.

The players who keep getting better learn how to handle those moments instead of letting those moments control them.

These are 5 things I think every young basketball player needs to understand.

08/28/2026

🏀 FULL GUARD WORKOUT —
This workout progresses from:

Handle + downhill attack
→ Floaters off 1 & 2 feet
→ Finishing with BOTH hands
→ Baseline + middle attacks
→ Step-through counters
→ Ball-screen pace
→ Pullback + re-attack

The goal isn’t learning more moves.

It’s becoming a guard who has an answer when the defense changes.

HANDLE → FINISH → COUNTER → READ → RE-ATTACK

Save it. Try the full workout.

📍 Kenny Dean Training |

08/28/2026

Young players don’t need 100 different dribble moves.

They need to understand how to control the basketball first, and then use that skill when the game speeds up.

In this workout we started by giving the players a visual target for their between-the-legs and cross-between. The goal was to keep the ball tight and through the middle of the body.

Then we progressed it:

🏀 Control the ball
🏀 Add movement
🏀 Attack downhill
🏀 Finish at the basket
🏀 Add a defender
🏀 Make a decision

CONTROL → SPEED → DECISION

The drill isn’t the destination. The drill is teaching a skill they eventually have to use against somebody trying to stop them.

📍Kenny Dean Training | Alcoa, TN

08/25/2026

A good handle isn’t just about dribbling fast.

It’s learning how to move your body with the ball.

In this workout, we worked on shifting with the ball, keeping the ball hitting the center on the moves, and finishing under control.

08/23/2026

CONTROL → REACTION → PACE → DOWNHILL ADVANTAGE 🏀

Speed is dangerous.

But change of pace WITH speed is even more dangerous.

Control the ball. Read and react. Slow the defender down. Then EXPLODE downhill and create the advantage.

It’s not about playing fast all the time.

It’s knowing WHEN to be fast. 💨

08/21/2026

Your body language is talking whether you are or not.
Head down after a mistake tells four teammates you’re still on the last play. So they stop looking for you and you’re playing four on five without leaving the floor.

Here’s what makes it trainable. You don’t control the miss, the turnover, the correction, or the bad call. You control what comes next, every time:

Miss → next play.
Turnover → sprint back.
Teammate fails → pick them up.
Correction → listen.
Bad call → move on.

Body language isn’t a personality. It’s a skill.
Send this to a player who drops their head.

08/20/2026

Everybody does not develop at the same speed.

Some athletes grow early.
Some grow late.
Some learn fast.
Some have to fail, rebuild, and mature slower.

But the goal is not to copy somebody else’s race.
The goal is to stay faithful in the race God gave you.

Run your race. Trust your pace. God is still building you.

08/19/2026

Individual development isn’t about collecting drills. It’s about building skills in the right order.

Foundation → Base → Balance → Rhythm → Separation → Shot Creation 🏀

Build the foundation. Progress the skill. Let the game come naturally.

08/13/2026

Faith builds discipline.
Discipline builds character.
Character shows up under pressure.

The work you build in private shows up when the game gets hard.